Gate for skip car charging chutes



March 4, 1947. C R. DL-,K 2,416,740y

GATE FOR SKIP CAR CHARGINC: CHUTES Filed oct'. 25, 1945 v 3 sheets-sheet 1 pda/ ATTORNEY C |NvEN'ToRD` rglvfom' R. uga

March 4, 1947. c. RJDUKE GATE FOR SKI-la CAR CHARGING- CHUTES I5` Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1945 INVENTOR Crau/go' i?. .ZD/gai E" ATTORNEY i y 4,.1947.f c, R, DUKE l 2,4i6,74 o

" GATE Fon SKIP CAR CHARGING cHUTEs Filed ot. 25, 194s s sheets-sheet; s

|NvENTR I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4,; 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT! oFFIcE GATE Fon slma CAR CHARGING orrUrEs Crawford R. Duke,A Chicago Ill.' t Application October 25, 1945,-*Se`rlal No. 624,539 f,

4 claims. icl. 214-425) This invention relates to an automatically operated gate'for skip car charging chutes. In filling a blast furnace two skip cars operating on parallel inclined tracks are used tolift material froml the stock house to the furnace top. Ma-

terial is collected from overhead bins in a larry 'due precaution, or through mechanical failure,

the load from the larry car may be discharged when the skips are in motion or when the larry is centered over the wrongy skiplpit. In such cases the material is discharged through the chute into the skip pit where it must be cleaned up by hand, this being an arduous task which causes a loss of production. Since the .chute opening is large, there is the danger that a workman will fall therethrough into the skip pit when the larry car is' not-located over the chute.

It is an object of my invention to provide a gate on the charging chute which will automatically open when the skip car enters the pit and automatically close when the skip car\leaves the pit.

These and otherobjects will be more apparent after referring to the following specication and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the gate with the skip car in the pit;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view taken on II--II of Figure 4;

Figure 3-is an enlarged view taken on the line the line III---III of Figure 4; and

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a skip pit having an inclined track 4 therein. movement on thel track 4 is the [usual skip car 6. which -in'its lowest position. is located under the charging chute 8. Mounted in the usual manner above the chute 8 are the rails I0 for supporting a larry car I2, which is equipped with bottom discharge doors I4. My invention consists in fastening a pair of steel anglesIG to the bottom of the chute 8 in any suitable manner, these angles'being arranged with their bottom legs parallel to the rails 4 and facing each other.

Mounted for sliding movement on the angles is a gate I8 which may be fabricated fromsteel Mounted for A y plates. Stops 20 'are welded or otherwise fastened to the ends of the angles I6 to prevent the gate I8 from riding oi" the ends of theangles. 'Ihe gate I8 is provided with a beveled upper` edge or cam surface 22- for a purpose which-will appear later. The upper end of each of the angles I8 is cut out at 24 to provide clearance for a sheave wheel 26 over which passes acable 28, one end of whichis fastened to the gate I8 and the other end being attached to a counterweight 30. The sheave wheel 26 is supported on a shaft 32 carried in bearings, 34 attached tothe angle I8. To the bottom'of gate I8 on each side thereof is fastened a pairof spaced apart lugs 36 and 38. Similar lugs 40 and .42 spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the lugs 38 and 38 are attached to the top of the skip `car 8.

v lines in Figure 1. After the car 8 is loaded, the

doors I4 are closed and the skip car 6 starts its journey up the tracks 4 toward the top of the blast furnace. The lugs 42 at the upper end of the car engage the lugs 38 on the bottom of the `gate I8 and carry it upwardly until the leading end of the gate I8 strikes the sheave wheels 28. The beveled edge 22 enables the gate to ride up over the sheave wheels, thus raising the lugs 38 out of engagement with the lugs 42 with the car 8 continuing its` upward travel. The counterweights 30, which are in the lower broken line position shown in Figure 1, hold the gate I8 in this position. In case`material or a workman falls into the chute 8, the gate I8 prevents the material or the workman from falling into the pit 2.' After the load is dumped into the blast furnace, the skip car 8 returns to a position under the chute 8. As it nears this position, the lugs 40 on the car 8 engage the lugs 38 on the gate I8 and move the gate to its original open position. The cycle is then repeated.

While one embodiment of my invention hascomprising a gate attached to the bottom of the.

chute, said gate being `slidable in a plane parallel to the direction of movement ofthe skip car, a pair of spaced apart lugs attached to the bottom of the gate, a pair of lugson the top of said car in which the loaded skip car Aan angle away l comprising a gate attached to the bottom of the' chute, said gate being to the direction of movement i tach'ed to the bottom of the car to close the gate under the chute, and the lugs the skip car arrives under .the gate.

2. A safety device for a skip car charging chute travels upwardly at from Vthe chute, said safety device slidable in a plane parallel of the skip car, means for holding the gate in position at'each end of its travel, a pair of spaced apart lugsatthe gate, a pair of lugs v on the top of said car spaced apart a distance less than the rst pair of lugs, the lug at the upper end of the gate being engaged by the lug at the upper end of the car to close the gate as the car travels upwardly, and means for raising the gate to disengage the lugs when/"the gate is closed, the lower lug on the car engagingthe lowerrlug on the gate to open-the gate as the car travels downwardly under the chute.

3: A safety device for a skip car charging chute in which the loaded skip car travels upwardly at an angle away from the chute, said safety device comprising a gate attached to the bottom of the chute, said gate being slidable in a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the skip car,`

a rope attached to the front end of the gate,'a counterweight at the end of the rope, a sheave wheel over which the rope passes, a pair of spaced apart lugs attached to a pair of lugs on the top of said car spaced apart a distance less than the rst pair Vof lugs, the lug at the upper vend of the gate being'engaged by thel lug at the upper end of the car to close the gate as the car travels upwardly, said gate ridthe bottom of the gate..

ing up the sheave wheel to raise the gate and dlsengage the lugs when the gate isclosed, the

y lower lug on the car engaging the lower lug on the gate to open the the gate to open the gate as the skip car arrives under the gate.

4. A safety device for a skip car charging chute in which the loaded skip car travels upwardly at an angle away from the chute, said safety device comprising a gate attached to the bottom of the chute, said gate being slidable in a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the skip car from a closed position to a lower open position, a cam "surface on .the upper end of the gate, a pair of ropes, one attached to each side of the gate, a sheave wheel for each of the ropes at the upper limit of Ytravel of the gate, a oounterweight at the end of each of the ropes, a pair of spaced apart lugs attached to the bottom of the gate, a pair of lugs on the top of said car spaced apart a distance less than the 'rst pair of lugs, the lug at the upper end of the gate being engaged by the lug at the upper end of the car to close the gate as the c'ar travels upwardly, the cam sur'- face engaging the sheave wheels vto raise the gate and disengage the lugs when the gate is closed,

the lower lug on the car engaging the lower lug on the gate-to open the gate as the skip car arrives under-the gate.

CRAWFORD R. DUKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,755,840 Ross Apr. 22, 1930 1,562,987 Nagel Nov. 24, 1925 1,335,531 Shimizu Mar. 30, 1920 Morford Feb. 11, 1930 

